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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. roll — a list
  5. chest — a box
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. band — a ring
  9. rest — a break
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. rule — government
  22. chest — of your body
  23. band — a music group
  24. rule — a law

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com